The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Splits cause of worry for BSP supporters Our Correspondent Jammu, May 11 BSP supporters in the Jammu region are upset over the splits in the party, which took place both at regional as well as national level. Radhey Mohan of Jammu has been a staunch BSP worker. Giving vent to his anger over the splits in the BSP, he said, “The party leaders seem to have been swayed by ego problem.” He said since the rebels, led by Dr Sat Pal, floated the National Bahujan Party (NBP) in the state it had been gaining ground. “In the meantime yet another party called Bharatiya Bahujan Samaj Party (BBSP) has also taken birth,” he added. He said the BBSP leaders were coming to Jammu shortly for opening the party unit in the state. However, Dr Sat Pal, today felt no threat from the BBSP. “The BBSP would hardly pose any threat to my organisation.” He said the party has decided not to forge alliance with any other political party. “The NBP will go alone in the ensuing Assembly election,” he said. Dr Pal said he has decided to field party candidates in 70 out of 87 constituencies. When reminded that the party has hardly any base in the Kashmir valley and a limited vote bank in several other constituencies in the Jammu region, he said, “We will divide the constituencies, which we are planning to contest, in three categories. Where we find we have a strong base we will pool all our resources.” But Dr Sat Pal seems to be confident and hence he has not agreed to forge pre-poll alliance with the Brahmin dominated Praja Parishad, led by Chander Mohan Sharma. Chander Mohan confirmed that talks with the BSP and the NBP had not succeeded. He indicated that he has decided to forge an alliance with the BBSP soon after its unit was set up in Jammu. Sharma had visited the BBSP office in Delhi where the two sides discussed preliminaries of the proposed alliance.
	Government to provide potable water Tribune News Service Srinagar, May 11 The state government has said safe potable water facility would be provided to 5,350 habitations in the state by March, 2009. Minister for public works, Mohammad Dilawar Mir said a comprehensive action plan involving a cost of Rs 2,036 crore had been formulated for the purpose under Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, an important constituent of the Bharat Nirman Programme. Of the total amount, Rs 909 crore had been spent, he said, adding that more than 1,620 uncovered habitations had so far been covered since the programme was launched in the state two years ago.
	Escalating violence: Parties demand govt dismissal Our Correspondent Jammu, May 11 The National Bahujan Party led by Dr Sat Pal has demanded immediate dismissal of the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir on account of its “failure” to tackle the menace of militancy in the state. Referring to the militant attack in a village in Samba sector, in which four people were killed and five injured, Dr Sat Pal appealed to the President of India to dismiss the state government and place Jammu and Kashmir under the Governor’s rule. He said under the Governor’s rule the security forces especially the Army could get a free hand in tackling the activities of militants. He said as a result of conflict between the ruling Congress and the PDP, militants had taken advantage of it and had started escalating the level of violence. Senior BJP leader, Dr Nirmal Singh, while demanding imposition of the Governor’s rule said today, “Constitutional breakdown owing to conflicting stand being taken by the ruling coalition partners, the PDP and the Congress, terrorist strike and infiltration bids from across the LoC had increased in recent weeks.” He said it was apt time to impose the Governor’s rule so that the ruling politicians could not succeed in getting security forces demoralised by their regular chant against human rights violations and over demilitarisation. Leader of the Panthers Party, Harsh Dev Singh, said, “Since the Assembly election was round the corner, militants and their agents across the LoC would try to raise the level of violence and scare to keep people away from the poll process.” He too wanted stern counter insurgency measures, which he said were possible only under the Governor's rule. He said before the President of India intervened let the Governor dismiss the state government and impose the Governor’s rule under Section 92 of the state Constitution.
	Police busts two-wheeler lifters’ gang Tribune News Service Jammu, May 11 With the arrest of two thieves, the Bagh-e-Bahu police claims to have busted a gang of two-wheeler lifters, which had been operating in the winter capital. The arrested duo has been identified as Prabhjeet Singh (20) and Bahadur Singh (45). However, two of their accomplices identified as Manpreet Singh, alias Milka, and Vivek Charak, alias Honey, are absconding. Giving details, Parminder Singh, SHO, said eight motorbikes had been recovered on the disclosures of the arrested thieves. A hunt had been launched to nab their accomplices, he added.
	We delivered good governance: PDP Tribune News Service Jammu, May 11 Reiterating his resolve to remove regional disparities, former chief minister and patron of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has claimed that his government has set an example of equitable and balanced development in the state. Addressing a meeting at party headquarters yesterday, Sayeed said the PDP-led coalition regime has laid a foundation of mutual trust and confidence among inhabitants of different regions and sub-regions of the state. “Not only our government treated all regions equally but backward and ignored regions were also given special attention,” the PDP patron said and challenged his adversaries to come out with evidence of discrimination with any region or sub-region during his regime. “We have set an example how to deliver good governance. Our government treated all regions and sub regions equally,” he said. Since its formation the PDP has been propagating for restoring lasting peace in this region, he said and added that it was all due to the policies of the party that a new path of development and tranquillity has been carved out. Cautioning people against vicious campaign launched by some vested interests against the party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said issues taken up by the PDP were supported by the successive governments at the Centre. “The previous NDA regime headed by Atal Behari Vajpayee and the present UPA government-led by Dr Manmohan Singh whole heartedly supported initiatives taken by us for restoring peace in this region,” said Sayeed. Our biggest achievement is that we revived faith of the people in democratic institutions. Now people feel that they can elect government of their own choice, he said. “Time is not far when Sailkote-Suchetgarh road would be opened as a trade to facilitate economic growth of the people living on both sides,” Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said. On the occasion former National Conference MLC Deepinder Kour joined the PDP.
	Rs 63.50 cr for Udhampur under annual credit plan Tribune News Service Udhampur, May 11 The District Level Review Committee has approved Rs 63.50 crore under annual credit plan (ACP) for Udhampur district for current fiscal. The approval came after the meeting of the District Level Review Committee (DLRC)-cum- District Consultative Committee (DCC) comprising district officers and bankers of various departments. While reviewing the last year’s annual credit plan achievements, the lead district manager, Udhampur, disclosed that over Rs 58.72 crore stood disbursed to beneficiaries under agriculture, industries and service sectors against a target of Rs 46.75 crore, thereby registered 126 per cent over all achievement in the district. The achieving in services sector was quote encouraging which was to the tune of over Rs 43.67 crore while as in industrial sector the achievements was 89 per cent and in agriculture sector 90 per cent. Speaking on the occasion, additional district development commissioner, Udhampur, J.L. Sharma stressed upon the bank officers and district heads of Rural Development Department, Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Industries, Employment, Handloom, Handicrafts, DRDA, Khadi Village and Industries Board etc to maintain proper affinity and harmonisation in sponsoring, sanctioning and establishment of income generating units with a stress on raising the socio-economic status of rural poor, BPL families and rehri and pheri walas. He further emphasised for gearing up sponsoring and sanctioning of kissan credit cards so that farmers who are the back-bone of our economy are benefited to larger extent in raising their crop and fruit production. The bank managers were also asked to intimate the latest status of cases sanctioned or disbursed to the concerned sponsoring departments for achieving better results in a stipulated time frame.
	Beacon light vehicles above law? Tribune News Service Jammu, May 11 The Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) may have entered cyberspace to effectively fight militancy and crime, yet its men at various check posts still consider beacon light vehicles above the law. There have been instances under the rule of the coalition government when vehicles of ministers and officials have been used in crimes. After the state had been put on high alert in the wake of infiltration bid in Samba sector by Pak militants, commoners again have been undergoing random checking, but beacon light vehicles appear to be above the law. Though the ‘Darbar’ has moved to the summer capital for the next six months, a good number of official vehicles carrying flickering red lights atop their roofs still zoom across city roads. Sources told The Tribune that the general administration department (GAD) has expressed concern over the laid-back attitude of police towards such vehicles. “The police has been told not to compromise on the security aspect and put such vehicles to thorough checking wherever necessary,” they said. The GAD has also regretted over the misuse of such official vehicles and would soon issue a new government circular to all departments, including state motor garages, asking them to abide by norms. A senior official of the law department did not rule out the possibilities of saboteurs misusing such vehicles. He admitted that vehicles carrying beacon lights were seldom checked at check posts. Talking to The Tribune, a senior police officer said the government had been seriously pondering over the issue and may come up with new rules to check misuse of such vehicles. However, he admitted that former ministers, former legislators and retired government officials besides, office-bearers of different political parties had been using beacon lights atop their vehicles. Sources said an order issued by the GAD to the State Transport Authority had clearly expressed grave concern over the misuse of such vehicles in the state.
	IIM, central varsity in state soon Tribune News Service Srinagar, May 11 Jammu and Kashmir will soon have a central university and Indian Institute of Management (IIM). The union ministry of human resource development has also agreed to set up a campus of the National University for Scheduled Tribes in the state, officials said today. This follows the meeting of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad with the HRD minister Arjun Singh yesterday at New Delhi on his return from Karnataka where he had gone on an election tour. During the meeting, Azad requested the union minister for setting up a central university and an IIM in Jammu & Kashmir on the pattern of IIM, Ahmedabad. The two prestigious institutions would be set up one each in Kashmir and Jammu provinces, which is set to give a big boost to the state’s impression on the education map of India. Officials said Azad also requested Singh to set up a campus of the recently established National University for STs, headquartered in Madhya Pradesh. He argued that since the state has a sizeable ST population, a campus of the university in J&K would go a long way in promoting higher education among this section of the population, to which Arjun Singh agreed.
	Fissures in Congress Soz ticks off Vakil, minister hits back Srinagar, May 11 Fissures seem to have started appearing in the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress with a minister Abdul Gani Vakil asking PCC chief Saif-ud-Din Soz not to fall prey to rumours and hamper the work of “true Congressmen”, who have been spreading the message of party chief Sonia Gandhi. Vakil, while replying to a letter from Soz in which he had asked the minister not to hold any public meetings without consulting the area MLA, said he was performing the duty of a minister in the state cabinet and also advised the JKPCC chief to refrain from being misguided by a “coterie of sycophants”. In his reply, Vakil informed the PCC chief that he had organised over a dozen rallies in the last one month where even a district level worker of the party was involved. “I am spreading the message of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and nothing should be seen behind my intentions other than strengthening the Congress party,” Vakil said and added that he was “empowering the poor and needy.” This may not be one case in isolation but there are other Congress leaders who have been airing their objections of being ruled from New Delhi. A PCC president should be a Congress worker who is always available for local leaders, a senior Congress functionary said, adding no party can function through a remote control. Pressure was also building up within the state Congress that Soz should be seen holding more and more rallies in the state to highlight the achievements of three years of the Ghulam Nabi Azad’s government as this was an election year in Jammu and Kashmir. “We would like to extend full cooperation to Soz but provided he takes a step rather than making guest appearances with union minister or party’s top brass,” another senior leader of the party said. The Congress had secured 20 seats in the 2002 elections and the party would be closely watching its performance in this year’ s election. — PTI
	Delhi team in valley to boost enterprises Tribune News Service Srinagar, May 11 A team from New Delhi headed by secretary of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), Government of India, accompanied by additional development commissioner MSME, visited several facilities in the valley to asses plans to offer training and other support to entrepreneurs and artisans in Anantnag today. Officials said the team visited the common facility centre at Sethar Sangam where training facility would be imparted to the entrepreneurs and artisans on modern technical know-how to upgrade skills in the trade. They said there was a huge quantity of Kashmiri willow available as raw material in the area and it could be tapped for gains by the locals. Officials said New Delhi would mobilise resources for providing marketing support to the finished products of Kashmiri willow inside the country and abroad too. For this purpose, issuance of licenses and other permission would be provided on a priority basis. Officials said they also visited a local manufacturing unit at Sogam established under the Rural Employment Guarantee Programme at a cost of Rs 6 lakh, including margin money of Rs 1.80 lakh, generating employment to 12 persons besides, meeting another self-help group of artisans under crewelwork and embroidery. “We are working to give a big boost to small and medium enterprises in the valley which have a lot of scope but suffer for many years for reasons beyond our control,” they said.
	Azad stresses on rapid development Tribune News Service Srinagar, May 11 Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has cautioned people to be wary of elements who were the enemies of progress and development and tried to exploit masses for their personal interests. Addressing a large public meeting at Batagund in Handwara, Azad said emotional blackmailing and exploitation of innocent people suited the vested interests of some who wanted to amass wealth and property. In a veiled attack on separatist leaders, he along with Union minister and state Congress president Saifuddin Soz, said many children had fallen prey to bullets during militancy. “People have understood the designs of these leaders”, he said, adding, “politicking would no more succeed”. “These elements make statements detrimental to development and mar tourism and economy. We will not allow them to do so,” he said. He said his government was determined to take the state towards progress and carry forward massive development projects launched for the welfare of people. Azad said militancy inflicted heavy losses on the state's economy and progress besides, causing irrecoverable loss of precious lives. “We have to pull the state out of this economic distress and ensure rapid development in all sectors to generate jobs and create public service infrastructure.” However, he said peace was a pre-requisite for development and outside investors should be roped in the state for mega development projects.
	Frisking of tourists leaves traders worried Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, May 11 Various deputations associated with the tourism industry in Pahalgam, base camp for Amarnath pilgrimage, have sought streamlining of security exercise, without which they say their business would be severely affected ahead of the annual pilgrimage beginning on June 18. These deputations, led by Pahalgam Hotel Association chairman Javed Burza met PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who represents Pahalgam constituency, and put forth their demands here yesterday. Burza expressed his serious concern over painstaking frisking of tourists at base camp Nunwan police check post, and said this exercise had impacted their business adversely. Burza said due to this frisking, lesser number of vehicles moved to Pahalgam, as the educational institutions and locals have been advised to avoid picnic trips to the world-famous health resort due to ensuing Amarnath yatra beginning next month. Sayeed while assuring these associations said he would personally take up all these issues with the government. Mufti, according to a PDP spokesman, added that his party supported the genuine demands of the hoteliers, ponywalas, taxi union, and all other business associations working in Pahalgam. Mufti said his party was keen to restore peace and tranquility in the region, so that all such complaints cease to exist. Burza said it was not averse to having Nunwan as base camp but it should not be at the cost of hoteliers, whose business suffered immensely during the past two decades. Burza observed that tents provided on rent by the Shrine Board at Nunwan had affected hoteliers who were in a fix that how come these tents were being commercialised. Other deputations from Pahalgam, who had earlier met the principal secretary to the Governor and chief executive officer of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), Dr Arun Kumar included Ponywala association, citizens’ council, Beopar Mandal and taxi union. Meanwhile, the SASB has assured travel traders of Kashmir that it would evolve a mechanism to place 50 per cent tickets of helicopters on Internet and have room bookings in Baltal up to a specific number through them.
	Live fuses create panic in Nowgam Srinagar, May 11 Panic gripped a south Kashmir village when live Bofors fuses was detected, official sources said today. Sources said as people were busy in their daily work, a live fuse created panic in village Nowgam Achabal. The police was informed and those present in the area were taken to safe places. Later, a Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) destroyed the fuse on the spot without causing any damage. This was the third time live fuses have been recovered in south Kashmir during this month. One May 1, seven fuses were recovered at Sombrunna Kanal village, while two were destroyed on May 5 at Nowgam. More than a dozen live fuses were destroyed by the BDS during the past one month in villages around Khandroo, where thousands of Bofors and other shells had been destroyed in a devastating fire in the Field Ammunition Depot in August, 2007. After the fire was controlled in the depot, thousands of unexploded shells were defused by about 100 BDS in about a dozen adjacent villages. However, hundreds of unexploded shells still remain in these villages. About 20 people, mostly fire-fighters of the Army, were killed and 50 others wounded in the incident. — UNI
	Pak’s statement on Kashmir hailed Srinagar, May 11 The government today welcomed the statement of Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi that the Kashmir issue could be sorted out through dialogue between the two countries. “We welcome Qureshi's statement that the Kashmir issue could be sorted out through talks between the two countries,”transport minister Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen Tyaseen said addressing a public meeting in Budgam today. The minister said he favoured free trade between India and Pakistan and called for working out a mechanism to facilitate easy travel across the Line of Control (LoC). “The relation between the two countries was fast improving and it would have direct bearing on the internal situation of the state,” he said, adding, “opening of more routes across LoC would be instrumental for improving economic condition of the state.” — PTI
	Terminate services of ex-minister’s daughter: Panel Legal Correspondent Jammu, May 11 The Jammu and Kashmir State Accountability Commission (SAC) has recommended the state government to terminate the services of former minister’s daughter and forfeiting pensionary benefits of the then project manager of Integrated Water Shed Development Project. The then project manager S.S. Bali not only made appointment of Sofia Tabasum, daughter of the then forest minister Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan but made appointments of 72 other persons without any directions from the government to make such appointments. In order to improve the cultivation, production, development and yield of crops and to provide benefits to the persons residing in remote and rural areas, a scheme titled ‘Integrated Water Shed Development Project’ was launched in 1990. The state government by a Cabinet decision created 224 posts to run the project with the specific direction that all the 224 posts should be filled by taking officials on the deputation from the Forest Department and without making any direct appointment. The government also constituted the State Steering Committee with the forest minister as its chairman to review the working of the project, sanction of new watershed plans. In a complaint before the SAC, it was alleged that S.S. Bali as the project manager not only made direct appointments when there was no substantive posts, no eligibility criteria fixed in the project and no selection committee was constituted by the government. In the enquiry, the commission found that although Bali had managed to get the post of the training officer created by the Steering Committee in its meeting on July 3, 2000 but the appointment of minister’s daughter was made prior to the creation of the post on November 27, 1999. It was also noticed by the Commission that prior to the appointment of Tabasum as training officer, Bali had addressed a communication to the secretary, Forest Department, on November 26, 1999 to transfer a gazetted post to the project. The secretary promptly obliged Bali and transferred from Social Forestry Project, the post of divisional publicity officer on November 29, 1999 for a period of six months. On the intervention of the project manager, the life of the post was also extended till life of the project. The project manager immediately appointed Tabasum on the gazetted post without ascertaining whether she had the basic qualification for appointment to any post and more specifically whether she was qualified to be appointed as divisional publicity officer. Later, Bali passed another order on February 8, 2000 whereby Sofia was ordered to be repatriated along with the post to her parent department after the life of the project came to an end. The Accountability Commission also noticed that though the Vigilance Organisation had recommended the termination of services of Sofia on June 8, 2006 yet no action was taken. Instead a committee of chief conservator of forest, conservator forest special secretary, Forest Department and was framed to verify whether the appointment of Sofia was validly made. The Commission observed that this committee was framed by the government only after the notice was issued to the government by the SAC requiring the government to explain as to why the recommendation of the Vigilance Organisation was not implemented.
	A tiny puzzle Shariq Majeed Tribune News Service Buddhal (Rajouri), May 11 What should be the nationality of a 10-month old boy, whose mother is an Indian citizen, while his father, a Pakistani militant commander. Ten-month-old Junior Inqualabi was born to Parveen Akhter, daughter of a nomad Muhammad Bashir of Dhaleri in Budhal area here and Abdullah Inqualabi, a Pakistani national and divisional commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen-Pir Panjal Range militant outfit. Locals sources said Abdullah Inqualabi was chairman of the Unified Jehad council — a group of militants of various outfits, including the Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), Al-Badr Mujahideen and the Hizbul-Mujahideen-Pir Panjal range — who joined hands after security forces gunned down their top militant commanders. Abdullah used to visit Dhaleri area frequently and fell in love with Parveen Akhter, a local nomad girl, who also reciprocated in a positive manner. “The duo got married in 2006. Parveen gave birth to a baby boy in 2007, whom Inqualabi named Junior Inqualabi”, said one of the locals on the condition of anonymity. “Abdullah Inqualabi is still active in the area and giving security forces sleepless nights,” he added. Meanwhile, Constitutional experts said the conditions for acquiring Indian citizenship as per the provision of the Citizenship Act, 1955, were — a person born in India on or after December 3, 2004, was considered a citizen of India by birth, if both the parents were Indian citizens, or one of the parents was a citizen of India and the other was not an “illegal migrant” at the time of his birth. They further said an “illegal migrant” as defined in Section 2(1)(b) of the Act was termed a “foreigner” who entered India without a valid passport or other prescribed travel documents, or with a valid passport or other prescribed travel documents, but remained in India beyond the permitted time period. “In this case, the child’s mother is an Indian citizen and his father, being a militant, is an illegal migrant. So as per the Constitution of India, the baby does not fulfil the conditions for being an Indian citizen”, informed Vijay Sehgal, a Constitutional expert at Jammu.”
	Two ultras killed in Kupwara Tribune News Service Srinagar, May 11 In a nightlong encounter in Kupwara district, the security forces gunned down two suspected LeT militants today. Though they have not been identified, the police said they could be Pakistani nationals. SSP Vijay Kumar said they had information that some militants were hiding in the forest area after which the security forces launched an operation in the night. After several hours of firing, the police found bodies of two militants, suspected to be from Lashkar-e-Toiba. The area has seen large-scale infiltration in recent months and the forest area make it especially preferable for ultras to hide.